Furnace.



Patented July l0, l900.

FURNACE.

(Application filed Sept. 13, 1899.

v. E. EDWARDS & J. R. GEORGE.

E 4 use n; a fi d fi w mR, E Q I B OW Tim-m4 Md nd i n/ (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR E. EDWARDS ANl') JEROME R. GEORGE, OF WORCESTER, MASSA- CHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE MORGAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY,

OF SAME PLACE.

FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,508, dated July 10, 1900.

Application filed September 13,1899. Serial No. 730,290. (No model.)

To all whom, it ntay concern.-

Be it known that we, VICTOR E. EDWARDS and JEROME R. Gnonemcitizens of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the-same, in which Figure 1 represents a top view of a furnace embodying our invention, one half being shown in sectional view. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the plane of line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Similar numerals re er to similar parts in both of the figures.

Our invention relates to furnaces for heating ingots or billets, havingfor its object to increase the efficiency of the furnace, which we accomplish by means of the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter de scribed, and set forth in the annexed claims.

Referring to the drawings,and particularly I to Fig. 2, 1 denotes the heating-chamber, having a roof 2 and a floor 3, supporting piers 4, upon which rest water-pipes forming a longitudinal track 5, upon which the billets are moved through the heating-chamber. The billets 6 are received upon the track 5 through the'opening 7 at the charging end of the heating-chamber by means of a pushing mechanism consisting of a vertical rocking lever 8, having actuating mechanism comprising in the present instance a steam or hydraulic cylinder 9, connected with the lower end of the rocking lever. The rocking lever 8 is piv-. oted at 10 to a fixed bracket and at its upper end to a push-bar 11, said push-bar having a tailpiece 12,sliding on ahorizontal support 13, and a vertical shoulder 14, adaptedto press against the side of a billet and cause it to be forced toward the heating-chamber by the rocking motion of the vertical lever 8. The billets to be heated are deposited upon a platform in front of the shoulder 14 of the.

supported on piers 4throughout the extent of the heating-chamber 1 until it reaches the end of the chamber,where it is supported upon a The longitudinal track 5 is transverse end wall 16, having an inclined upper surface, over which the track is continued, forming an inclined track 18,upon which the billets as they become heated in their passage through the heati'ng-chamber are pushed by the pushing mechanism.

The track l8-is given a sharp inclination, causing the heated billets to be carried rapidly downward by the action of gravity through an'open delivery-space 17. Preferably about midway the end wall 16 is a plate 19, placed in the path of the descending billet and having a less inclination than the inclined track 18. The inclined plate 19 is placed in alinement with a conveyor 20, upon which the heated billets are delivered and by which they are fed from the furnace by an endwise movement. As the heated billets are delivered from the inclined track they are prevented from being carried beyond the conveyer 20 by means of a stop, in the present instance consisting of the upright post 20.

The heating-chamber l communicates at the delivery end of the furnace with a mixing-chamber 21, in which currents of gas entering through conduits 22 and currents of air entering through openings 23 become thoroughly intermingled and in an ignited state flow into the heatin -chamber over the floor 24of the mixing-chamber 21. The floor 24 ,of the mixing-chamber 21 is supported at its inner end upon a transverse wall 25, which may be either an integral part of the end wall 16 or may overhang the end wall 16, as in the present instance, and be supported upon metal plates or girders 26. The floor 24 of the mixing-chamber is supported at its outer end by a pair of upright posts 26, each of which consists in the present construction of two I-beams placed side by side. The inflowing gas is received under pressure through conduits 22 from a pipe 27, and the inflowing currents of air are received under pressure from the pipe 28, leading from a pressureblower .(not shown) which receives its supply of air from a pipe 29, communicating with an air-space 30, inclosed between the roof 2 of the heating-chamber and a supplementary roof 31, extending over the furnace and constructed in the present instance of metal plates 32, preferably covered with sand 33 and supported upon I-beams 34, which rest upon the side walls 35 of the furnace. The currents of gaseous f uel-admitted to the heating chamber 1 from the mixing chamber 21 pass longitudinally through the heatingchamber and escape through downward fiues 36 in the usualmanner in furnaces of this class. The air-space 30 is open to the atmosphere at the charging end of the furnace,.so that the air fed to the pressure-blower passes through it nearly the entire length of the furnace and in contact with the heated roof 2, by which the air forced into the mixing-chamher is heated. Open spaces 37 are provided between the supporting-piers 4, which support the track 5, to allow the heated currents in their passage through the heating-chamber to pass beneath the billets. The inclosing walls of the mixing-chamber extend beyond the supporting transverse wall 25 and overhang a space in front of the transverse end wall 16, with said space open at the sides of the furnace and also open at the end or between the posts 26, thereby allowing free access by the attendants to the delivery-opening and to the front and ends of the conveyer 20. The-floor 24 of the mixing-chamber 21 is preferably downwardly inclined from its outer to its inner end, as shown at 24*, Fig. 2, so that the flow of incoming gas from the conduits 22 will be directed toward the advancing end 38 of the row of billets.

Swingin doors 39 and 40 are provided at the charging and deli very end of the furnace,

respectively, arrangedto be closed by gravity and to be automatically opened by the moving billets.

The inclination of the inclined track 18 is considerably' greater than the coefficient of friction, so that the inertia of the billet will be quickly overcome and the oi at rapidly carried upon the inclined plate 19. The great inclination of .the track 18 allows the opening 17 to pass through the wall at .some considerable distance below the bridge 24.

The inclination of the plate 19 is considerably less than that of the track 18 and is preferably less than the coefficient of friction, thereby causing the movement of the billet to be retarded as it moves upon the conveyer 20.

The operation of our improved furnace is as follows: Ignited gaseous fuel having been admitted to the heating-chamber 1 from the mixing-chamberover the bridge 24, as already described, the billets to be heated are then placed upon the platform 15 and are successively pushed forward into the heating-chamber, forming a row of billets along the track 5 and extending from the charging end of the furnace to the beginning of theinclined track 18. When the row of billets has once been formed along the track5, the admission of a billet at the charging end of the furnace will cause the billet at the advanced end 38 of'the row to be pushed from the track 5- upon the inclined track 18, The heated billet is then carried rapidly down by gravity over the inclined track 18 and delivered upon the inclined track 19, having its surface in the proper plane to deliver theheated billet upon the conveyor 20. The reduced inclination of the plate19 acts to slightly retard the movement of the billet in order to check its force as it strikes the conveyer. During the operation of the furnace the fuel, com prising a mixture of gas and air, is received u nder pressure through the conduits '22 and openings 23, and the air fed to the furnace becomes heated before it is subjected to pressure byits passage through the air-space 30, where it is made to pass in contact with the heated roof 2.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a furnace for heating billets, the combination with a heating-chamber having an opening at one end for the admission of billets, of a track extending longitudinally through said chamber whereon the billets are supported, a transverse wall at the opposite end of the heating-chamber having a downwardlyinclincd surface, over which said track is continued forming an inclined section whereon the heated billets move outof the heatingchamber, an upper transverse wall above said inclined track, an opening above said upper transverse wall, for the admission of a current of gaseous fuel, and means for directing said current lengthwise of the heating-chamber, substantially as described.

2. In a furnace for heating billets, the combination, of a heatingchamber having an opening at one end for the admission of billets, a transverse wall at the opposite end, provided'with a downwardly-inclined tracksu pporting, surface, a track for the billets ex tending from the admission-opening lengthwise the heating-chamber and over said inclined surface,an upper transverse wall above said inclined track, arranged to support the inner end of a mixing-chamber, an elevated mixing-chamber communicating with said heating-chamber, and means for supporting the outer end of said mixing chamber'whereby an open space is provided in front of said in-. clined track and beneath said mixing-chum ber, substantially as described.

3. In a furnace for heating billets, the combination with a heating-chamber, having an opening at one end for the admission of bil-' lets, a track extending lengthwise said chamber, a transverse end wall at the delivery end of the chamber having a downwardly-inclined surface leading out of the heating-chamber, a pushing mechanism by which the billets are pushed from the charging end of the heating chamber upon said inclined surface whereby they are delivered from the furnace, at mixing-chamber for as fuel having an opening into said heating-chamber, over said downwardly-inclined delivery-surface,meansber having a downwardly-inclined bottom by which the current of fuel is directed against the advancing end of a row of billets as they are moved through the heating-chamber by the pushing mechanism, substantially as described.

4. In a furnace for heating billets, the combination of a heating-chamber having an opening at oneend for the admission of billets and an opening at the opposite end for the delivery of billets, a track lengthwise theheating-chamber and in alinement with said delivery-opening, a transverse wall above said delivery-opening, an elevated mixingchamber for gaseous fuel, supported. at its.

inner end by said transverse wall and overhanging the space in front of said deliveryopening and means for supporting the outer end of said mixing-chamber whereby an open space is provided in front of'said deliveryopening and beneath said mixing-chamber, substantially as described.

5. In a furnace for heating billets, the combination of a heating-chamber having an ing witnesses this 11th day of September,

VICTOR E. EDWARDS. JEROME; R. GEORGE.

Witnesses RUFUS B. FOWLER, M. C. PRICE. 

